And now I present you with a video I digiscoped (or digivideoed) of a black-capped chickadee eating a black oil sunflower seed. Note how it works the nut meat apart bit by bit. Also, note how this bird is not eating at a feeder, chickadees fly away to another perch with their food–presumably to eat it out of a potential predator’s view.
When you see the chickadee puff up in the video, another chickadee has landed nearby, and it’s trying to look intimidating to protect its food–it’s a mini mantle.
Categories: digiscoping, digivideo
we have a park nearby where the chickadees will take the sunflower seeds from your hand. Quite a lot of fun. They are also very selective when presented with a handful of sunflower seeds. They’ll search for the right one, spitting out seeds that don’t meet their approvals.
Great digivideo, Birdchick. I always enjoy watching our chickadees (chestnut-backed) grabbing a seed or small nut from our window feeder and then flying off somewhere to eat. I’ve seen our titmice do it, too – but not to the extent that the chickadees do.
Mary C,
I’m totally jealous that you get regular chestnut-backed chickadees. I saw them once when I was birding in San Francisco and fell in love–what a great looking chickadee!